Tommy Chong Backs NDP Leadership Candidate Dana Larsen

By
Dana Gee, The Province
on March 8, 2011

NDP leadership hopeful Dana Larsen is looking to a famous stoner to help spark up his campaign.

Actor/comedian Tommy Chong of Cheech and Chong fame has thrown his support behind former marijuana Party leader Larsen as he takes a run at the top NDP job, which will be decided at the leadership convention on April 17.

“Dana was the only voice in B.C. that I heard of in politics that could actually further the marijuana course along,” said Chong who headlined a Larsen fundraising show at the Rio Theatre Monday night.

“Dana is our saviour. He’s the Nelson Mandela, the Barack Obama of Canada. He has a shot at coming in here and energizing young people to go ‘hey we can make a difference.’”

Chong, who splits his time between Vancouver and Los Angeles, and his partner Cheech Marin were synonymous with pot smoking during the 1970s. Hit records and movies made them the kings of weed long before the currently incarcerated Marc Emery was the prince of pot.

Chong’s recent political interest in the decriminalization of marijuana has a personal side as well. Back in 2003 Chong, who is legally allowed to smoke pot due to medical reasons, was sentenced to nine months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute drug paraphelnalia, in this case a glass bong sold off his website.

“He was really excited about it and got on board,” said Larsen about Chong. “Celebrity can help to draw some attention and help draw the media to put a spotlight on the ideas we’re trying to bring forward.”

Larsen is campaigning on the four point platform of democracy, sustainability, social justice, being smart on crime and feels the pot issue is a thread that runs through all of those.

“It really ties into a lot of other issues from gang violence, to the environment to health care,” said Larsen, who co-founded the marijuana party with Emery. “It’s not the only thing I talk about in my campaign but it is a very big issue for this province.”

A medicinal marijuana outlet operator Larsen, who ran briefly for MP of West Vancouver/Sunshine Coast in 2008, but dropped out after a video of him holding an unlit joint and getting into a car circulated.

On Tuesday from 3-11 p.m. the Larsen campaign will be hosting a live podcast. Larsen, Chong and other Vancouver entertianers and activists will be taking part. Go to votedana.ca for the link.

DGTV hung out with Chong and Larsen check out the video at theprovince.com

Grass greener with pot advocate, Tommy Chong says

by The Globe and Mail

Tommy Chong, the actor who rose to fame in the 1970s as part of the cannabis-consuming comedy duo Cheech and Chong, recently endorsed B.C. NDP leadership candidate Dana Larsen. Mr. Larsen is the director of the Vancouver Medicinal Cannabis Dispensary and the founder of the B.C. Marijuana Party. Mr. Chong played host to a Larsen campaign fundraiser Monday night in Vancouver. He tells The Globe and Mail why Mr. Larsen should be premier and when he thinks marijuana will be legalized.

Why did you decide to endorse Mr. Larsen?

My whole life, the right thing always appeared at the right time. Right now, I’m at the end of a reunion tour, looking for something else. The tour that we had was called “Get it Legal” and it was all about trying to get pot legal. And Dana fit right in there. He was the guy that I needed in my life at this particular time.

How would you sum up Mr. Larsen’s chances to be premier?

His chances are excellent. It doesn’t matter whether you get elected or not, the point is getting the publicity. Whether you hold office or not, that’s one thing. But getting the message out there and having the millions of Canadians realizing that there is hope for them, whether we vote it in now or later. We’re looking at probably the greatest premier Canada has ever known. I see that. He’s young enough, he’s got the right Barack Obama approach and Canada needs it.

How closely have you been following the NDP leadership campaign?

It’s hard to with Charlie Sheen. It’s hard to watch anything that doesn’t have Charlie Sheen involved with it. In fact, that’s the trouble with the U.S. You don’t get any kind of global news. You’ve really got to watch BBC to find out what’s going on in Canada. But I stay in touch with [marijuana advocate]Jodie Emery, I’m on Facebook, everybody’s been keeping me up to date with Vancouver. Personally, I would have loved to have gotten into politics but I would have had to have gotten some kind of education first.

Is it too late for you to go into politics?

Oh yeah, I’ve seen what it did to Arnold Schwarzenegger. I don’t want to be like that.

Do you expect to see legalization of marijuana in your lifetime?

Eventually. I mean, you can only be stupid for so long. There is a cutoff date on stupidity. It usually is death. Think about this, I will be 73 years old. That’s how long pot’s been illegal. I think I was put on this Earth because it’s my job to get it legal.

You live in L.A. How much time do you spend in B.C?

I try and get at least four or five months up here [each year]. … Vancouver’s probably one of the most interesting places in the world. You can go to all of these different [cultures]without going 20 miles out of your way. It’s great.

Mr. Larsen’s fundraiser featured a Q&A with you. What question are you asked most often?

“Where’s Cheech?” That’s the first question. “Want to get high later?” That’s the second question. “Who’s Dana?” That’ll be the third one.

Have you and Mr. Larsen planned more events for the future?

We’ll play it by ear. More than anything, I’ll be a conduit to the press. If we’ve got something to announce, good or bad, I’ll be in there.

What are you working on now?

I’ve got an animated movie coming out. We animated our old record hits; it should be out in the summer. And I’m halfway through the next Cheech and Chong movie. I’ll be writing and directing it. That’ll shoot probably this summer. We’ve got a few more gigs to do, but we’re right on the last legs. We’re the rented horse that can smell the barn, you know?

B.C. New Democratic Party leadership hopeful Dana Larsen is looking to a famous stoner to help spark up his campaign.

Actor/comedian Tommy Chong of Cheech and Chong fame has thrown his support behind former Marijuana Party leader Mr. Larsen as he takes a run at the top NDP job, which will be decided at the leadership convention on April 17.

“Dana was the only voice in B.C. that I heard of in politics that could actually further the marijuana course along,” said Chong who headlined a Larsen fundraising show at the Rio Theatre Monday night.

“Dana is our saviour. He’s the Nelson Mandela, the Barack Obama of Canada. He has a shot at coming in here and energizing young people to go, ‘Hey we can make a difference.’”

Chong, who splits his time between Vancouver and Los Angeles, and his partner Cheech Marin were synonymous with pot smoking during the 1970s. Hit records and movies made them the kings of weed long before the currently incarcerated Marc Emery was the prince of pot.

Chong’s recent political interest in the decriminalization of marijuana has a personal side as well. Back in 2003 Mr. Chong, who is legally allowed to smoke pot due to medical reasons, was sentenced to nine months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute drug paraphernalia, in this case a glass bong sold off his website.

“He was really excited about it and got on board,” said Mr. Larsen about Chong. “Celebrity can help to draw some attention and help draw the media to put a spotlight on the ideas we’re trying to bring forward.”

Larsen is campaigning on the four point platform of democracy, sustainability, social justice, being smart on crime and feels the pot issue is a thread that runs through all of those.

“It really ties into a lot of other issues from gang violence, to the environment to health care,” said Larsen, who co-founded the marijuana party with Emery. “It’s not the only thing I talk about in my campaign but it is a very big issue for this province.”

Larsen was briefly a federal NDP candidate in 2008, but dropped out after a video of him holding an unlit joint and getting into a car circulated.